This book is an introduction to the spiritual wisdom encoded within the ancient yet eternally relevant Namokar Mantra. A system of teaching called arhum yoga is offered for those who subscribe to any faith or no faith at all and who seek a practical way to purify themselves, to be healed from all types of imbalances, to further their goals, to realize themselves, to attune themselves with the universal energy of the Divine. Acharya Sushil Kumarji Maharaj’s enlightened teachings enable one to grasp the principles underlying all mantra repetition, or spiritual chanting. Furthermore, one can actually chant the Namokar Mantra with an understanding of how it can be so beneficial and efficacious, as well as why it is truly the Song of the Soul.

H. H. Acharya Sushil Kumarji Maharaj is a self – realized master who has devoted more than fifty years to promoting peace, non-violence and knowledge of the self.

Guruji (as he is lovingly called by many of devotees) was born 15 June 1926 in Sikhopur, a small foothill village in Haryana, India. The village was later named Sushilgarh in Guruji’s honor. As a seven-year-old he left his home to live with Shri Chotelalji Maharaj, who later became his religious guru.

When Guruji was still a young boy, Shri Roop Chandji Maharaj appeared to him in spirit and told him to become a monk. (Maharaj was a great yogi and enlightened master in the family of monks to which Guruji belongs. He left his body 100 years ago. Roop Chandji was not taught yogic systems from any master. His knowledge was realized through direct experience, and his powers were awakened through the grace of past lives. When he was fifteen years old he became a Jain muni (monk) in the Swetambar sect.

During his academic career in India, he passed through a number of examinations such as Shastri, Acharya, Sahitya-Ratna, Vidya-Ratna, etc, and mastered the classical studies of Indian religious and yogic philosophies.

Dedicated to religious harmony and the non-violent path, Guruji founded The World Fellowship of Religions and The International Mahavir Jain Mission in 1953 and 1977, respectively. Since his first controversial world tour in 1975 (for centuries Jain monks have traveled only on foot), he has traveled and aught extensively, spreading founded many ashrams and centers in the East and West. Guruji’s main ashram and 108-acre retreat is Siddhachalam, located in Blairstown, New Jersey.

Guruji is a master of meditation and the science of sound. He is the originator of a teaching system which he called Arhum Yoga. It is an ancient system for the mastery of the inner self through watchfulness and direct perception. Arhum Yoga encompasses all aspects of philosophy and yogic practice in the Arihant spiritual tradition.

When I was seven Years old, I went to live with my Guruji, Shri Chotelalji Maharaj. I had been born into a Hindu Brahmin family, so it was from Guruji, a Jain monk, that I first learned the Namokar Mantra. The mantra immediately appealed to me. When I repeated it, it felt as if there were sparks of energy and light inside me.

At ten years old, in Jammu, Kashmir, I and my dear friend Sohan Lal Oswal decided to repeat the Namokar Mantra 125, 000 times. We had not talked about it nor searched for any results or effects of the mantra; however, eight days after the completion of the japa, I realized the power of sound. During my stay in Jammu with Guruji, I regularly ate breakfast in a particular home. There was a girl there who was like a sister to me. One morning when I arrived, I found her crying and trembling – she had just been stung in the foot by a very poisonous black scorpion. People came and went, trying to help her by repeating various mantras, but nothing worked. I decided to try to remove the poison, applying the Namokar Mantra, even though I knew nothing about healing.

There was a dark blue line running from her toe to her thigh. I tied a handkerchief around her thigh and was thinking and affirming that the poison was going down, while directing the flow downward with my hand. It actually did begin to go down slowly, inch by inch, as I repeated the mantra. The girl began to feel some comfort as the poison was removed down to the ankle.

Then Guruji arrived, and I excitedly told his what had happened. I was very surprised and very happy that I could feel the energy and see the mantra working, but despite this fact Guruji ordered me not to continue. He said I should not do anything like that without perfect knowledge of the whole system.

The next day, despite the admonition from my guru, I returned to the girl, who had rested well that night, and saw that the poison was still only in her foot, and that the pain had considerably lessened. I repeated the mantra gain that morning, and the poison completely left her body. This was the first time I experienced the power of mantra. From this point on my faith in the Namokar Mantra became unshakable.

A valuable question to ask yourself I – what is your goal? What do you want to become in this life? To this question, I must answer that the Namokar Mantra is my goal and my life. It is my love and my destiny. Through it I can serve and guide along the path of non-violence. We cannot limit the divine eternal sound of mantra by labeling it Jain, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu or Muslim. We should not label the Namokar Mantra under any classification just as we should not label ourselves.

The Namokar Mantra is for everyone. It is a song of the soul and used to attain realization of the perfection of the soul. The origin of sound and soul is the same, and both are eternal. It is both the source and the commentator of vast spiritual knowledge. From the nonviolence of the ethical code or Yama to the bliss of self-realization or Samadhi, the Namokar Mantra guides us through the Eight Steps of Yoga.

Through its repetition, all qualities of evolved consciousness of the Arihanta, Siddha, Acharya, Upadhyaya and Sadhu are awakened. Right knowledge, Faith, Conduct and Infinite Energy are attained. It holds the key to the science of sound, color and the universe. The Namokar Mantra is a great healer and can awaken the kundalini. It can purify and transform the self to the state of completeness. Japa or repetition of the mantra activates the many sleeping powers of the subconscious mid, It is similar to modern methods of auto-suggetion in this respect.

You repeat again and again, “I bow to the Arihant” [Namo Arihantanam]. You pay your respect, love and devotion to the Arihant. You humble yourself and give up your ego. You want to merge with the Arihant and Siddha. When you visualize them completely, all obstacles are removed, the ‘inner enemies’ are conquered and divine powers are awakened.

In my youth and in many years which followed, wherever I used the Namokar Mantra, it proved immeasurably useful, whether for spiritual practice, healing or protection. Countless people have been healed of illnesses, have been protected in dangerous accidents and have experienced profound peace and deep meditation through the Namokar Mantra. So when I came to America, I decided to teach the science of sound vibration according to the Arihant tradition. The ancient teachings of the Arihantas are very powerful, very clear and true, and the Namokar Mantra is the essence of that knowledge. This small book will simply introduce you to the mantra’s power. More detailed texts must follow in order to do justice to this vast subject.

I am happy that step-by-step, the people of the Siddhachalam ashram are preparing more teachings for publication. My blessings to Gurushakti for compiling and editing the Namokar Mantra book, to Mitchell Hall, Martina Wohlfeld and Jan Markey for advising her, Jaya Carolyn Apolito for transcribing the tapes, to Saraswati Kathy McAdow and Maureen Lyons for typing the manuscript, to Pankaj D. Jain and Monica Jain for printing, and to all people who gave help and suggestions.

We are children of the Arihantas. May all beings be blessed with success, peace, health, self-realization and total bliss.